Ohio State is looking for revenge after three straight losses to Jim Harbaugh-led teams in Michigan. Some of the Buckeyes’ star players said another chance to beat “That Team Up North” was one of the reasons they returned for another season instead of entering the NFL draft. All three of these losses to Michigan kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten championship game. The stakes aren’t as high for Michigan this time, a year after winning the national championship. Michigan is a middle-of-the-pack team that just became bowl eligible last week.
Key match
Michigan quarterback Davis Warren vs. Ohio State defense. Warren lost his job early in the season and then won it back. He will have a lot of work to do. The Buckeyes defense is playing as well as it has all year, sacking Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times, forcing mistakes and holding the Hoosiers to a season-low 153 receiving yards last week.
Players to watch
Third-year RB Kalel Mullings is having a breakout season for Michigan. The converted linebacker has rushed for 832 yards and 11 touchdowns. He carried 12 times for 92 yards – an average of 7.7 yards per carry – in Michigan’s 50-6 thumping of Northwestern last week.
Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s 38-15 loss to then No. 5 Indiana last week. He has amassed 692 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season.
Other things to know
This will be the 120th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State. Michigan has won the last three after a streak of eight Buckeyes victories. Colston Loveland needs 99 yards and three touchdowns to set Michigan season records for a tight end. Michigan has eight players on its roster from Ohio State. Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford was a longtime assistant at Ohio State before making the move last spring after Sherrone Moore took over for Harbaugh, who moved to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. The all-time series between Ohio State and Michigan in games played in Columbus is 28-28-2 and the Buckeyes’ last win at home was in 2018. The overall series dates back to 1897, when the Wolverines claimed a 34-0 win. over the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor. Ohio State QB Will Howard is one of the most efficient passers in school history. The Kansas State transfer completed 80% of his passes for the sixth time this season. No other Buckeyes QB has done that. Michigan enters The Game without a ranking for the first time since 2017.
